A Christmas Wish (Gone Wrong)
by The Most Humble Bee
Summary: It's Christmas Time and Merlin is about fed up with Arthur's crap. He's desperate enough to wish upon a star, but it turns out to be less of a ball of gas in space and more of a mischievous little fairy out granting ridiculous wishes. Arthur get's enchanted with a love spell (again) and it's all chaos from there.
1. Chapter 1

It was Christmas time and the castle was busy and noisy as everyone prepared for the holiday. Merlin, of course, resented this as Arthur forced him to work twice as much than he usually did. Irritated and exhausted from the other chores he had performed earlier, he lazily assisted another servant with hanging velvet sashes on the walls.

But, as clumsy as Merlin was, the stool he had been standing on decided to tilt to the side as he reached upwards and caused him to fall over onto the cold, stone floor. He swore when he landed, the servant he had been helping (Perry... or something) rushed over to him.

"Are you alright?" maybe Perry asked.

"Yes, I'll be fine," Merlin assured, sitting up with a wince. "A visit with Gaius should be all I need."

Perry (or maybe it was Percy) nodded. "That was the last of the sashes, sir, you are no longer required to assist me."

Merlin sighed with obvious relief and pulled himself up. He sent Peter (maybe that was his name) a small smile.

"Could you tell the prince where I've gone, um..."

"Quincy," the servant replied.

(Oh well, he was close enough.)

"Right," Merlin said awkwardly.

"I'll be sure to tell him," Quincy assured before walking off.

Merlin watched the boy walk off before turning and limping to Gaius's chambers. Unfortunately, that was when he literally ran into Prince Arthur. They collided with a clang (that being the sound of Merlin's head against Arthur's chest-plate) and the injured manservant fell back to the floor. Merlin groaned in pain and held his head.

"What are you doing?" Arthur asked with a raised brow.

Blinking away stars, Merlin managed to focus his eyes and look up at the prince.

"I was going to see Gaius," he explained,. using the wall to help himself up.

"Um, no, you're not. You need to polish my armor _again_ , do my laundry, bring my supper, and prepare my bath. And be quick or I'll have you cleaning the stables," the prince threatened.

Merlin frowned. "Well, you're being more of a prat than usual."

Arthur made a face before sighing. "Arrangements for the festival had been changed. A dozen noblemen have just accepted our invitations and now we have to change the entire seating chart and cook more food for the feast, _and_ we have to prepare more chambers for our guests to reside in. And I do have to look presentable, but that's not going to be possible if you don't do your job, _Mer_ lin," he said.

The manservant rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll do my bloody job. It's not like I'm in _pain_ or anything, _sire_ ," he mocked and grumbled angrily to himself as he limped back to Arthur's room.

"Merlin, wait," he heard.

For a moment, the manservant felt a flicker of hope that the prat would actually let him go get some ice for his small injuries.

"You forgot my armor."

Four hours later, Merlin was back in his own room, feeling like he needed a wash as well. He had applied salve on the bruises on his head and backside (with the help of Gaius of course) and was now deciding to take a well earned nap. He had three layers of blankets wrapped around him and the fire burning downstairs provided him some heat. Merlin _hated_ the cold. But of course, as he had just gotten cozy, his door opened and in came a rather upset looking Arthur holding out his armor.

"What, the _hell_ , is this?" he asked, waving the objects in his manservant's face.

Merlin peered over his cover at the prince and furrowed his brows. "Uh... _that_ would be your armor, sire," he replied stupidly.

"Yes, but _look at it_ ," Arthur practically yelled.

Merlin sat up on his elbows and took a good look at the armor. He could see a blurred smear of something he couldn't define on the side of the chest-plate. That certainly wasn't there when he had polished it. Four hours ago.

"I have no idea what that is, but it looks disgusting," Merlin replied with a squint.

For that comment, Arthur hit him upside the head. "I know that you idiot. What I _want_ to know is why it's still on my chest-plate."

"It wasn't there when I was polishing it," he defended himself.

"well, it is now," Arthur threw the object onto Merlin's bed. "Clean it."

The manservant gave him an indignant look. "I will not! I spend four hours- _FOUR HOURS_ -doing all those chores you told me to do and I will _not_ spend another hour polishing your damned armor when I can be nice and warm under my covers for a _very_ well-earned nap." And with that, Merlin covered himself with his blankets and waited for Arthur to leave. Of which, he didn't.

The prince merely sighed and pulled the blankets off of his manservant and threw them to the floor.

"Merlin. Up. Now," Arthur demanded.

And after a moment, the young sorcerer did.

Merlin didn't know why Arthur disliked him so much. Or, he assumed it was dislike as the prince constantly bullied him into what he wanted him to do. Hell, he even found enjoyment in throwing things at him. And because of this, many others often give him sympathy, and you know what? He doesn't want it! He just wishes for a bit more appreciation.

So, as he polished that disgusting smear long into the night, he looked out the window of the armory and right at a beautiful star that seemed to outshine the others. Now, Merlin was never one to believe that wishing upon a star would actually work, but he was getting desperate. He closed his eyes for a moment and uttered a quiet wish under his breath.

"I wish for Arthur to respect me a little more and maybe give a damn about me for once," he muttered.

Merlin then peeked an eye open before opening both and sighing. He felt absolutely ridiculous wishing for something out right impossible. He then returned to polishing Arthur's armor.

xxx


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Merlin awoke to sunlight shining through his window. He stretched and got dressed for the day. As he made his way to fetch Arthur's breakfast, he noticed that the halls were bustling with even more people. The guests must be arriving soon. Merlin hastily collected some food from the kitchen into some sort of breakfast and escaped to Arthur's chambers.

He entered unannounced and placed the tray of food on the table before moving quietly to the curtains. He opened them in one swift movement, sunlight pouring into the room.

"Rise and shine, Arthur! It's a brand new day and we've got a _lot_ of work to do!" he exclaimed in mock cheer, grinning like the idiot he was.

As Arthur began to roll over, the manservant expected the prince to yell at him, or even throw something at him like usual. He looked at Merlin with an unamused expression, mouth opening to say something prat-ish. But then he sneezed, and, as if he was suddenly waking from a dream, he stared at Merlin.

"Good morning to you, too," Arthur said pleasantly.

The prince stood up with a smile, reaching for his clothes. Merlin, dumbfounded, surged forward to help him.

"Allow me to dress you, sire," he said, surprised when his hand was swatted away.

"Don't worry about it, I can dress myself," Arthur said gently.

Merlin stared, mouth agape, as the prince pulled on his own tunic and breeches and walked to his table. Something was wrong here. The manservant rushed to Arthur's side and slapped a hand to his forehead, checking his temperature. The prince wasn't feverish, which was not what Merlin had been expecting. Unfortunately, that lead him to the only other explanation to Arthur's strange behavior. He was enchanted.

"Care for a sausage, Merlin?" the prince inquired, waving a piece to him.

Well... perhaps he could deal with spell breaking later.

As the day went on, Merlin grew used to Arthur's kindness, only a small part of him was guilty for using this to his own advantage. But it just felt so nice, being _appreciated_ -wait, what? Merlin paused outside of Arthur's chambers as he recalled his wish from the previous night. Had it really come true?

But, wishing upon stars never worked! He's done that several times before, none of his wishes ever coming true. Why was this time different? A tiny giggle interrupted his thoughts. Curiously, he looked around to find the source, confused when he was met only with an empty hallway.

Wait! There, right there, A flash of light caught Merlin's attention. It appeared again, zooming across his path. To keep it from vanishing, he quickly used a binding spell on the thing. Once his eyes returned from gold to blue, he walked up to the bound light on the ground. It was a fairy!

"What the hell are you doing here?" he hissed.

The silver glowing creature peered up at him with wide eyes. "I was just helping, Emrys," it said feebly.

Merlin squinted. "So you know who I am?"

The fairy nodded. "Yes, my name is Astrid. Last night, you wished upon me and I'm here to grant it!"

The manservant's eyes widened. " _You_ were that abnormally bright star?"

The fairy nodded. Merlin slapped his forehead at his own idiocy. This explained a lot.

"What did you do to Arthur?" he inquired.

"I've sprinkled him some love powder. It causes the victim to become more affectionate to whomever the caster chooses," Astrid explained proudly.

Merlin blanched. "W-will he remember anything that happens under its influence if he is released from the spell?"

"Of course he will!" the fairy exclaimed with enthusiasm.

Merlin gulped. He had a strong feeling that after all of this, he would be executed. He released the binding spell on the fairy.

"You're going to help break the enchantment on Arthur whether you'd like to or not," he said.

"But Emrys, it will take several days to collect all the ingredients needed to undo the spell!" Astrid complained.

"Then you had better start now."

The fairy huffed before fluttering away to do just that.

Merlin sighed before entering Arthur's room, being met by the sight of the prince undressing.

"Oh, hello, Merlin," he said casually.

The manservant blushed and looked away awkwardly.

"I'll get some water for your bath," he said.

"There's no need, I already got it."

"Alright, then I'll go get your dinner-"

"You've been working all day. Why don't you join me?" Arthur walked up to him and reached to pull off his manservant's tunic.

"Whoa," Merlin said, stepping backwards. "I-um, I appreciate the offer, sire. But I just remembered that I promised to help Gaius with-ah!"

He tripped over a chair and landed on the stone floor with a thud. Arthur rushed to his side.

"Merlin, are you alright?" he asked with concern.

The manservant nodded. "Yes, I'm alright," he said with a sigh.

Suddenly, he was pulled into a tight embrace by a very half-naked prince. "Sometimes, you're just so clumsy, you worry me to death," Arthur breathed against his neck.

Merlin blushed a bright red before pushing the prince away. "Alright, alright. Now go take your bath before the water gets cold."

"Won't you join me?" Arthur pouted, hands resting on his manservant's waist.

"N-no! Of course now! I-go take your bath. I'll help wash your back, that's all, alright?" Merlin conceded.

Arthur grinned and dragged his manservant to his bath tub.

Somehow, later that night, he had become Arthur's teddy bear.

They were laying in the prince's bed, curled up under the thick covers. Arthur had his arms wrapped around Merlin and the manservant had no choice but to try and fall asleep.

Merlin forced himself to relax and pressed his back into Arthur's warm chest. His eyelids were about to close when he heard the door open quietly. The manservant paled. What if someone saw him and the prince in the same bed? They'd tell the kind and he'd surely be executed!

He peered through a small crack in the bed curtains and saw a familiar handmaid tiptoe into the room. Gwen. The girl placed something on Arthur's table and stole a quick look to his bed, eyes meeting Merlin's. The manservant blushed and hid under the blankets, turning around and hid his face in Arthur's chest. He heard a soft giggle and a door closing before drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

xxx


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Merlin awoke to the feeling of a hand brushing away his dark strands of hair. Groggily, he opened his eyes and squinted at the figure leaning over him. It was Arthur.

"Good morning," the prince greeted sweetly, leaning down to press a kiss to Merlin's forehead.

The manservant spluttered before rolling off the bed in a series of flails and awkward movements, leaving a mess in his path. Arthur merely watched him in amusement.

"I-I'll go and get your breakfast, sire! Please get dressed without me," he stuttered before running out of the room.

Merlin's heart was beating incredibly fast, his hair and clothes were disarrayed and his appearance made him seem like he was thoroughly debauched. Embarrassed by how the morning had gone already, Merlin straightened himself up and walked off to the kitchens. To his dismay, Gwen was also there. He tried to escape at first, but was too late as the handmaid caught him by the arm.

"Morning, Merlin," she mused with a knowing grin.

"Morning," he greeted awkwardly. "Here to get Morgana's breakfast?"

"Yes, I am," she replied and looked him over. "But I suppose Arthur's already had his."

Merlin blushed. "I-we aren't-I never-" he stammered, unable to speak coherently.

"It's alright, your secret's safe with me," Gwen winked before letting him go, disappearing to deliver Morgana's meal.

Merlin didn't stop blushing and instead began to fill up a tray with some food. As he did so, the smell of cooked goose calmed him down a bit. He had a feeling that the Yuletide feast was going to be an extravagant one. The manservant carried the tray back to Arthur's room, recounting all of his plights along the way.

One, it was Christmas time and it's already busy enough as is. Two, Arthur was under a love spell ( _again_ ) but this time he's in love with _Merlin_ of all people! Three, he may or may not already be in love with the prat. Four, he had magic, Five, magic has been outlawed by King Uther (who is also Arthur's father). And finally, he was _MALE_. Male bits means no heir, no heir means the end of the Pendragon line. Bloody. Hell.

Before he knew it, Merlin was outside of Arthur's room. Taking a deep breath, he entered. The prince was sitting at his desk, sifting through some documents. Arthur looked up when his manservant entered. Merlin set the tray of food down on the table.

"Your breakfast, _sire_ ," he said and made to leave before he was grabbed by the waist.

"Eat with me, _Mer_ lin," Arthur whispered close to the shell of his ear, causing the manservant to shudder.

"I have to go help Gaius-"

"I love you," the prince said suddenly, pressing a gentle kiss to Merlin's neck.

The manservant felt his stomach clench. Those were not Arthur's words, he reminded himself, it was merely the influence of the spell. But that didn't mean it hurt any less. Merlin pulled away, wiping his eyes.

"Excuse me, sire," he said quietly before walking out.

He made it all the way into the courtyard before he stopped. He was cold and it didn't help that it was snowing. Merlin used his scarf to cover his face, tucking his hands into his arms. He continued on to Gaius's tower, ignoring the people bustling in and out of the castle. He entered without knocking and took a seat by the fire. Gaius seemed to immediately notice that he was distraught and took a seat beside him.

"What did he do this time?" the physician inquired with a sigh.

"What makes you think I'm upset about Arthur? I'm not upset about the prat. I'm just-um, cold," Merlin babbled, ears pink.

Gaius's lips twitched in amusement for he had never mentioned the prince. "I know how you feel about him, and I understand that you think it's not going to work out between you two."

Merlin bit his lip, not replying. The physician placed a hand on his shoulder.

"But everything will be alright. Arthur truly does care for you, you know," Gaius assured.

The young sorcerer smiled a bit at that. "Thank you. I think I'll go back to him now. Obviously because he wouldn't be alive if it weren't for me."

Gaius chuckled as he watched Merlin leave.

"Ah, young love," he sighed fondly.

Merlin was out in the courtyard again and the snow hadn't ceased. The stone ground had a blanket of white on it and children were merrily creating snowmen and angels. It was an amusing sight and he smiled slightly at them as he walked by He then entered the castle and was met by a familiar ball of light.

"Astrid!" Merlin exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here so soon?"

"I've collected all the ingredients, Emrys," the fairy said gleefully.

"Have you now? That was incredibly quick, I thought you said it'd take longer?"

Astrid had the decency to appear sheepish. "Yes, well... it turns out that the journey was a lot more expeditious than I had assumed."

Merlin rolled his eyes slightly at the blatant lie. "So, are you going to give the ingredients to me or not?"

The fairy vigorously shook her head. "I am the one who must prepare it, Emrys. It takes quite a bit of time to do so," she explained.

Merlin frowned. "Alright then. Head over to Gaius's tower and tell him I sent you. He should be able to help."

Astrid nodded before vanishing. The manservant sighed and continued on to Arthur's room. He considered visiting the baker to purchase a basket of sticky buns bit his thoughts were interrupted as usual as he bumped into someone.

"Oof-"he huffed, taking a startled step back. "My apologies..."

Merlin had not been expecting a familiar pair of calloused hands to lift up his chin, eyes meeting a pair of concerned ones.

"Are you alright, Merlin?" Arthur inquired, voice thick with solicitude. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

The manservant wrinkled his nose at how benign and tender the prince was behaving. As much as he hated to admit, he missed the prat who used to threaten him with cleaning horse-crap in the stables. Though his heart did skip a beat as Arthur's hands slid down to caress his waist. With much reluctance, Merlin pried the wandering palms off of his body and smiled awkwardly.

"I'm fine, sire," he replied at last. "Er... I was wondering if there was anything you needed me to do?"

Arthur smiled at his manservant. "Come with me to oversee the preparations for the Yuletide feast and ball," he said with excitement, already dragging Merlin to the dining hall.

xxx

A/N: I apologize for any typos that I may have or make in this story. It's hard to keep track of what you're typing while looking down at a notebook. I will most likely not fix these errors as I am too lazy to even look for them. Please make do with what I have. c:


	4. Chapter 4

Merlin and Arthur watched as a beautiful green fir tree was being decorated by the servants and children. They all danced about gaily, singing tunes of merriment. The two spectated with amusement. But secretly, Merlin hoped that Astrid would come soon with the spell to break Arthur's enchantment. He was once again interrupted from his thoughts as the prince pulled him towards the tree.

"Come on, _Mer_ lin. Let's help," he urged, almost childishly.

The manservant had no choice but to comply and smiled as a box of delicate looking glass ornaments was placed into his arms. Arthur picked up a red ball and gently placed it on one of the tree's branches. Merlin set down the box and picked up a lovely green bulb and hung it on one of the branches. They continued on like this, picking up oddly shaped ornaments and prickly garlands and accessorizing the tree with precision.

Soon enough, as they decorated, Merlin and Arthur ended up side by side. Their shoulders bump and they looked at one another briefly before Merlin blushed and looked away sheepishly. Arthur smiled fondly at his manservant before Merlin blushed and looked away sheepishly. Arthur smiled fondly at his manservant before glancing upwards, his smile broadening at what he found.

"Merlin, look," Arthur pointed upwards. "Mistletoe."

The manservant looked up and blushed. He knew very well about what you were to do if caught under the mistletoe with another. He didn't have enough time to utter an excuse to leave when Arthur leaned in and captured his lips in a gentle kiss. Merlin gasped and hesitantly, he brought his arms up to wrap them around the prince's neck as he kissed back. The two then became so engrossed in each other that they hadn't noticed that the other tree decorators were either watching them in amusement or covering the eyes of the grinning children. All of a sudden, Gwen appeared.

"I knew it!" she exclaimed, grinning triumphantly at them. "I _knew_ you two had something going on!"

Merlin's eyes widened and he hurriedly pulled away from Arthur, lips swollen and face red.

"G-Gwen! It's-um, not what it looks like?" he tried, hands wrapped in the prince's tunic.

"Ooh, I can't wait to tell Lady Morgana!" the handmaid giggled and ran off.

"Wait! Gwen!" he called after her, but Arthur's hands on his hips prevented him from going anywhere.

"It's alright, _Mer_ lin," the prince hummed, pulling his manservant flushed against him. "Let's go back to my room."

Merlin blushed, his protests interrupted as Arthur lifted him over his shoulder and carried him away. The manservant sighed when they were halfway to the prince's chambers.

"Forgive me, sire," he muttered before uttering a spell to knock the prince unconscious.

The two fell to the ground, Merlin somehow getting stuck under Arthur. He tried to crawl out and only succeeded in making things worse. The manservant sighed resignedly and waited to his execution to come already.

"Emrys!" he heard, looking upwards.

"Astrid! Down here!" he called.

The fairu landed in front of him and looked at the predicament he was in, giggling.

"Now's not the time to make innuendos about the quagmire I have put myself in. What is it that you need?" he questioned, irritation evident.

"Right. Well, mister Gaius and I have completed the anti-enchantment and it's ready to be used!" Astrid reported, levitating a vial of powder to him. "All you need to do is sprinkle this over His Highness's nose and he should be back to normal!"

Merlin accepted the vial. "Thank you," he sighed, a grateful smile upon his face.

Astrid tilted her tiny head curiously. "Were you not pleased with the prince's behavior? I had assumed that you-"

"I do. But the Arthur I know doesn't," Merlin said solemnly.

The fairy looked at him sympathetically. "Ah, I see," she said. "Well, I bid you luck and a farewell, Emrys!"

And with that, Astrid vanished. Merlin sighed before wriggling out from underneath the prince. Once he was free, he levitated Arthur into the air and hurriedly took him to his room before anyone saw him using magic. When they arrived, Merlin set the prince down onto his bed gently and took out the vial. He wondered how he was going to sprinkle it over Arthur's nose without the prince noticing. Well, he could do it as he slept. Merlin looked over to the bed, about to do just that, but saw that Arthur was very much awake with a euphoric smile upon his visage.

"Hello, Merlin," he greeted, sitting up now.

The manservant chose that moment to panic and threw the powder onto Arthur's face. The prince sneezed and a cloud of white powder surrounded him. Slowly, he looked up at Merlin, touched his own cheek, and inspected the powder.

"What the hell is this?" Arthur asked, not sounding the least bit amused.

"Um... flour?" Merlin tried, smiling nervously.

"And _why_ am I covered in it?"

The manservant shifted his feet awkwardly. "Um, well... I heard from the scullery maid that flour is good for your...er...complexion."

Arthur glared at him and stood up angrily. He picked up his chalice and threw it at Merlin. The manservant dodged and rushed out of the room just as the wash bin flew over his head.

At least Arthur has returned to normal, he thought a little sadly.

Merlin had returned to his room and silkily slid under the covers. He felt colder than usual and he wrapped himself up in a tight cocoon as he pouted at the wall.

There was a light knock at the door but he really just wanted to be left alone for the remainder of the day.

"Go away, Gaius," Merlin muttered, hiding himself further within his blankets.

"Funny, last time I checked, I was still young a very much female," a familiar voice said.

"Gwen?" he turned to face the doorway.

The handmaid smiled and moved to sit at the end of his bed. "Gaius told me what happened. I suppose it makes a lot of sense that Arthur was enchanted when I caught him reciting poetry in his bed chambers one afternoon," she chuckled trying to lighten the mood.

Merlin gave her a half smile before looking down. Gwen's own smile faltered and she laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Don't sulk," she sighed. "I'm sure that once he calms down, he'll come come for you and make things better."

Merlin scoffed at that. "Yeah, I doubt that. The prat would probably only come to yell at me to clean his room or polish his armor or clip the royal toenails."

Gwen frowned. "No need to be so bitter, she told him, smacking him lightly on the back. "Anything could happen."

Merlin still felt doubt at that.

xxx


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Merlin woke up a little earlier than usual to get Arthur's breakfast. He set the food on a tray and walked up to the prince's chambers at a brisk pace. He opened the door as quietly as he could and placed the breakfast down onto the table. Afterwards, he pulled the curtains open with more gusto than usual and plastered a bright grin onto his face. He turned around.

"Up and at e-" he stopped himself short and his smile faded as he was met with a very much awake and dressed Arthur.

"Merlin," the prince greeted seriously.

Oh no. He wants to _talk_. No, no. Nope. He wasn't ready for this.

"Er... I've got your breakfast ready, sire. Now, I'll go and do your laundry and-"

" _Merlin_ ," Arthur grit, standing at a dangerously close proximity. "Shut up and let me talk."

The manservant didn't want to shut up. He wanted to talk back and argue. He wanted to do anything but _be in this room at that very moment_. But he had no choice but to comply. After a pause, Arthur began.

"As you know, today is the burning of the Yule log to start off the Christmas celebration. And as crown prince of Camelot, I am required to attend. So..." he coughed awkwardly. "I would like you to come. With me, that is."

Merlin blinked. Was he hearing things right? This was not what he had been expecting. The manservant took out the vial of leftover powder, uncorked it and prepared himself to throw it at the prince again.

"Wait, wait! Merlin, I'm not enchanted, I swear!" Arthur panicked, holding his arms out in defense.

The manservant slowly lowered the vial as the prince lowered his arms, both eyeing one another warily. Once they calmed down, the two shifted nervously.

"Anyway... ahem, I expect to see you in my chambers before dusk. Until then, I'll give you time off to prepare," Arthur ordered, dismissing him.

Merlin tried his hardest to push down the feeling of hope that rose in his chest as he exited with a bow.

At noon, Merlin went to consult Gwen in what to do about the celebration.

"Well, first of all, you're going to have to wear something nice. If Arthur _wants_ you to be at the burning, then he's also going to want you to be at the feast and ball. So you _have_ to look your best," she advised.

Merlin frowned. "But I haven't got anything nicer than this," he said, gesturing to his current clothing.

Gwen pursed her lips as she studied him thoughtfully. "There isn't much that I can do about that. I won't be able to patch something up for you in time for the celebration..."

Merlin sent her a reassuring smile. "Nah, it's alright. I'm sure Arthur won't mind what I'm wearing."

The handmaid smiled back and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Good luck," she said before turning and walking away.

Merlin watched as she left before heading back to his room in Gaius's tower. He crossed through the courtyard which was icy and still covered in snow. He lifted his neckerchief up in an attempt to keep his nose warm. When he got to his destination, he opened the door quickly and sighed as the warmth of the hearth eased his cold numbness,

"Merlin, you've got a parcel," Gaius announced.

Curious, the manservant walked over to the table where the satchel lay and pulled out its contents. From it came a dark blue cotton tunic, a dark brown pair of breeches, and a nice pair of leather boots. He searched for some note, telling who had sent these lovely items. When he found none, Merlin put the clothes back into the satchel and took it with him to his room.

Two hours later, Merlin entered Arthur's chambers (unannounced as always) and scanned the room, stopping at the sight of the prince pulling his tunic on. Blushing with embarrassment, Merlin turned away and coughed awkwardly. Arthur looked up at his manservant, fixing his posture and the wrinkle in his clothes.

"Merlin," he greeted, looking him over and his gaze lingered a single too long on the tight fitted breeches he wore that exposed his manservant's long, thin legs. "You look... good."

Merlin blushed harder at that and awkwardly rubbed at his neck. "Thank you... So do you, I suppose..."

The room succumbed to an awkward silence and the two shifted their feet on the stone floor. Arthur was the first to break the quiet.

"So... shall we?" he inquired, gesturing to the door.

Merlin nodded wordlessly and together they walked down the stone corridor in companionable silence, occasionally bumping shoulders.

"I can't believe you still wore that silly neckerchief after I went through the trouble of getting you nicer clothes," Arthur snorted.

"These were from you?" Merlin asked in surprise.

The prince offered a coy half-smile in reply. His manservant felt his cheeks warm again. He was flattered by the gift and made sure that he would treasure it as it was his first real gift from Arthur that came from his own kindness.

The two continued to walk quietly down the hall when Merlin realized they weren't walking in the direction the balcony where the king and prince normally set to spectate any events in the courtyard was.

"Arthur, where are you-" Merlin was interrupted by the prince grabbing his arm and whisking him away.

They hurried down the corridor and eventually, they ended up in a room with a window that looked out to the courtyard. The room was dimly lit, creating an intimate atmosphere. There was a bench underneath the window and Arthur pulled his manservant to it. They sat beside one another, shoulder-to-shoulder; knee-to-knee, as they listened to his father's speech.

"Shouldn't you be out there?" Merlin asked, looking at Arthur whose face was illuminated by the soft glow of the candles; features like the vague wrinkles started to form around his eyes and the obvious cheekbones that adorned his visage were better defined.

"I'd rather be here, with you," the prince replied before blushing at how sappy that sounded. "Obviously because I can tolerate your asinine comments where my father would most likely throw you in the dungeons for your inferiority. Then he'd make _George_ my new manservant and I definitely do not want that."

Merlin couldn't resist and goofy grin and a snort. "It's nice to know that you care so much about my well-being," he said sarcastically, earning him a nudge to the shoulder.

Soon enough, the Yule log was lit before them and they watched as the crowd cheered. Merlin watched the fire blaze with awe and didn't notice that Arthur was watching him with a fond expression. When the manservant finally looked away, he caught the prince's gaze. They stared at one another for what felt like an eternity until Arthur placed one hand on the other's waist and cupped his cheek with the other. Slowly, they leaned closer and Merlin wrapped his arms around his prince's neck and their lips joined together in passionate, languid movements. This continued for a long moment before they pulled away for air, pressing their foreheads together.

"Happy Christmas," Arthur whispered with his usual boyish grin.

And Merlin found, after sharing quiet, affectionate banters over the food at the feast and stealing a dance with his prince much later in the evening, that it was _very_ much a happy Christmas.


	6. Epilogue

The morning after Christmas, Arthur was woken up by a finger prodding his cheek.

"Arthur," someone whispered in his ear. "Arthur, wake up, damn it."

The prince slowly opened his eyes and peered down at the owner of the prodding finger. Merlin was wrapped up in his arms, hair tousled, neck and chest covered in bruises and bite marks. (You all can guess what sort of activities they had been up to last night. *wink*) It was a pleasing sight and Arthur couldn't resist pressing a chaste kiss to his manservant's lips.

"Morning," he mumbled, nuzzling the other's hair.

"Morning to you, too," Merlin sighed. "But could you please let me go, I've got to get your breakfast."

Arthur responded by wrapping his arms tighter around the boy's skinnier frame. "Have someone else do it."

Merlin sighed again. "Arthur, please. I still have to change the bed-sheets, polish your armor, bring your sword down to the blacksmith's for repairs, clean your laundry, _and_ help Gaius," he said, annoyance evident. "All before lunch."

The prince frowned but reluctantly pulled away. "Fine. But I expect you to be here before dinner as well, I have a few ideas that I'd like to try before dawn," he said with a wink.

Merlin blushed furiously and hastily made to get dressed, leaving the room with a muttered "excuse me, sire." Arthur smirked at him as he left and got dressed himself, secretly wishing that his manservant had stayed to help him. Not long after he had laced his breeches up, the door opened and in came Merlin.

"Here's your breakfast, sire," he said dutifully and set it down on the table.

The prince uttered a thanks and teasingly slapped his manservant's bottom before taking a seat. He smirked at the squeak that came from the other boy but it quickly vanished when he looked down at his plate.

"Where are the sausages?" he asked, turning to Merlin and noticed how the manservant's hands were pointedly held behind his back. "Did you take them again?"

Merlin had the decency to appear nervous. "Maybe..."

"Why would you do that?" Arthur glared hard at him.

"Sire, I've noticed that you were getting a little soft around your abdomen-"

"I am not!"

"-and Gaius has had _many_ cases where people have died by eating too many sausages-"

"Bollocks!"

"-and as your loyal servant, I must do what I can to prevent you from dying an early death," Merlin finished with a pleased smile.

Arthur refused to admit that he was a little amused nor did he want to accept that he found his manservant's tone of voice absolutely endearing. "Merlin, the day I die young, a... a fat, old man will become the figure of Christmas," he challenged, skeptical.

Merlin shrugged. "Anything can happen. You could be attacked by an all-powerful sorcerer with a polishing brush, you never know."

"And what great wizard would attack me with a _polishing brush_?"

"I might."

Arthur laughed. "Yes, that bit might be true, but you're not a wizard."

Merlin coughed awkwardly. "About that..."

 ** _fin._**


End file.
